Client: The Warrior

Age: 42

Timeline: 12 Weeks

Confidence is one of the most powerful tools in our personal “self toolbox.” It can push us to do extraordinary things and it can tear us down into a million pieces. When we lose our sense of self through a major life event it’s extremely difficult to get it back.

Nutrition is more than scale weight and before and after pictures.

It’s about rediscovering the confidence you have inside so that it shines on the outside. This week’s client success story faced a battle that so many women face today. She did it with strength and grace but not without struggle. The amazing part is that she dug deep, invested in herself when it was behind her and now feels (and looks) the best she ever has.

Here is her story:

“One of the biggest things cancer does is strip you of feeling like yourself. It wrestles you into becoming less of you and more of it. It tries to diminish who you strive to be and it leaves you feeling beaten up, tired and worn.

About this time last year I was feeling pretty good and doing well. I was probably the fittest I had ever been, having committed to clean eating and CrossFit. We had just returned from watching some of the fittest people on the planet compete at the 2016 CrossFit Games. Not even a week later I felt a big hard lump in my breast and well, the rest is sort of a blur.

Mammograms, ultrasounds, biopsies, xrays, MRI, and doctor appointment after doctor appointment. Cancer quickly becomes a full time job. Two surgeries followed by mandatory 8 weeks recovery after each one left me with a very sedentary life especially compared to what it had been.

When I was finally able to work out again I found I had zero energy. I can remember on multiple occasions having to sit out half way through the workout. That had never happened to me before, not even when I was a CrossFit newbie. Scale the workout-yes. Sit out- no way. I was heavier than I’ve ever been and had lost most of my muscle definition.

As much as I tried on my own, I could not get my body to let go of even a single pound. My body had been through a trauma and it was not cooperating with me any longer. My fitness was a priority to me and I was not about to let cancer take that from me.

So at the end of my rope, I contacted Amanda. And she began to work her magic! She knew my metabolism needed reset, she knew I wanted to lose weight, and she knew it was important for me to have the energy and stamina to get through my workouts to rebuild my strength and cardio. And she helped me achieve all those goals, in an amazingly short amount of time!

She always told me what to expect in the coming week so I never had to worry that things weren’t headed in the right direction. She always encouraged me and made me feel like I was succeeding. And above all, she always set the example with her own nutrition. It truly felt like she would just send me a magic formula and if I followed it my goals were met.

Yes, I dropped over 15 pounds! But honestly even more satisfying than that was the way my body composition changed. Every week I saw significant change in how my body felt at the gym, how it looked in the mirror, and how my clothes fit- even on weeks when the scale didn’t move. I felt like myself again and that has been huge for someone who at times wondered if I would always feel broken.

This hasn’t been a diet, it’s been a life change. I no longer eat mindlessly or out of boredom. I don’t make excuses that it’s okay if I overeat just because the foods I’m choosing to indulge in are “healthy and clean”. I no longer expect my body to perform when I have not provided it with the proper fuel. I see food and my nutrition as I should- a way to eat a balanced diet in order to live the life I want. I still eat delicious food and a lot of it.

Honestly, I’m eating more calories than I ever have. Ask my family how many times I say, “Look how much food I get to eat!”. But I understand now the relationship between what I put in my body to get the results I want- whether that’s weight loss or more energy or achieving my goals in the gym. I even succeeded in not gaining any weight on my vacation at the beach! How often does that happen? No vacation guilt or regret, and yes, I fit some treats in too. It feels good to eat good!

It’s been about 12 weeks since I started tracking my macros with Amanda. I reached my original weight loss goal in about 7 weeks and set a new goal after that! In a few weeks I will be turning 43 and shortly after that I’ll be celebrating one year cancer free.

I can honestly say I am living my life as my best self. I feel like I have my feet under me again, and I’m so excited to see where this leads me next. I am healthier, leaner and stronger than I was even before my diagnosis, and for that I am incredibly grateful. “